U.S. revokes visas of 3 Palestinian Fulbright scholars

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"The United States has revoked the visas of three Palestinian
Fulbright scholars whose cases were taken up personally by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after Israel refused to let them leave Gaza for interviews, U.S. officials said Monday.

Visas for the three, along with a fourth Palestinian student from Gaza who had hoped to come to the U.S. under a different program, were approved after Rice intervened in June but were rescinded last week when new information about them was received, the officials said.

"There were four Palestinians who were issued visas about whom we then received additional information," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.

"We decided that we needed to take a closer and harder look at them in light of the additional information we received," said Gallegos.

He also said the visas were canceled under a prudential revocation clause in immigration rules that allows them to be rescinded based on information gleaned about the holders after they were issued.

"It does not preclude the applicants from reapplying for visas in the future," he said.

Gallegos declined to comment on the nature of the new information about the four Palestinians, one of whom had actually arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington before he was told his visa had been revoked and was forced to return to Jordan."

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[shira]

1. call Condy Rice!

so now the USA is evil and mean for not allowing these innocent students to study abroad? We already know Israel is cruel and evil. What's the USA's excuse?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

3. Praise the Lord and pass the lube?

[Sezu]

4. Haven't you heard? The Israel Lobby controls America.

Why if it weren't for those pesky Jews and their darn Israel we'd all be living in Eden under bubblegum trees.

/snark

[ProgressiveMuslim]

5. This episode proves beyond a doubt that the Israel lobby wields NO INFLUENCE whatsover.

You've picked a bad example for that one!

[azurnoir]

2. Almost Kafkaesque

From the article

He also said the visas were canceled under a prudential revocation clause in immigration rules that allows them to be rescinded based on information gleaned about the holders after they were issued.

"It does not preclude the applicants from reapplying for visas in the future," he said.

But another official familiar with the situation said the information related to security issues that were behind the refusal by Israeli authorities to allow them to leave Gaza to be interviewed for visas at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem in May.

Palestinian students cannot apply for U.S. visas in Gaza because Washington does not recognize the territory's Hamas government and has no diplomatic presence there. Israel bans all Gaza students from leaving for security reasons but has made exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

So apparently these students were never interviewed by the US,because Israel would not allow them to leave Gaza for an interview, but was happy to provide the needed information or the US, however they can reapply for visa's in the future, except they can't because.......

so Gaza students 4 Israel 3 better than I expected.